October 27, 2002	Sunday	Sha’aban 20,1423

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DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Oct 26: MMA general secretary and its nominee for prime minister’s slot Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that painting one or the other leader as a “hot favourite” for premiership by the US ambassador in Islamabad is a direct interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs.

Talking to journalists at his residence here on Friday night, he urged all the internal and external forces in play to respect the mandate given to the religio-political parties by the masses in the general elections. Other JUI-F leaders were also present on this occasion.

He observed that if the mandate was not honoured, it would lead to a situation like that of Algeria and Bangladesh, where the people’s mandate was not respected.

Maulana Fazl said that a committee headed by Shah Ahmad Noorani would submit its report to the MMA on contacts with other parties in the next couple of days. The alliance would decide its course in the light of this report, he said.

Spelling out the priorities of the religious parties alliance, he said that the MMA would work out its own independent foreign policy to suit the supreme interests of the country.

Fazlur Rehman said that the MMA had hired the services of legal experts to vet the constitutional amendments introduced by Gen Musharraf’s regime. All amendments repugnant to the Islamic character, the country and the constitution would be struck out, he said.

About the Afghanistan problem, the MMA leader said that the Afghans should be left alone to decide about their future government. The MMA would not indulge in any interference in the Afghan affairs, he added.

He said that the US bases in Pakistan were a direct threat to the country’s sovereignty. They would have to wind up the bases and their operations on Pakistan’s soil, he said.

Replying to a question about the rifts in the MMA, Maulana said that there were no differences among the component parties over the nomination of Akram Khan Durrani for the chief minister’s slot in the Frontier province.